Great Bear Co-operative

Community owned Co-operatives in the Arctic are multi-purpose businesses that provide a wide range of services to their members and their communities. Services provided by local Co-ops include retail stores, hotel and tourism operations, cable television, arts and craft marketing, fuel distribution, construction & heavy equipment services, property rental and a variety of agency type services. Great Bear Co-operative is located in Deline, which is a Dene community located on Great Bear Lake. The operations of this Co-operative includes a 4500 sq. ft. retail store, fuel delivery and cable television services. Deline (Dell-in-A), formerly Fort Franklin, officially changed its name in 1993. The current name is the original Slavey term for the area, meaning where the water flows. The community has a population of approximately 525 people, and is situated approximately 3 kilometers from the mouth of the Bear River, on Great Bear Lake, and is North of the 65th parallel. The population is mainly comprised of Slavey Band Dene Indians. The people here are some of the last in the north to come off the land, and establish a permanent community. Much of the traditional culture has been maintained, such as hand games, drum dances and seasonal feasts. Hunting and fishing continue to play a dominant role in the way of life. The influence of French trappers has had an effect on names and some words adopted in the culture.